City of Lakeland's Lawyer Fees Related to LPD Inquiry Reach $218,000

The city is paying for work related to the investigation and presentment.

Commissioner Justin Troller asked City Attorney Tim McCausland to explain why the city is paying the money to keep the document sealed. McCausland said it was because commissioners authorized the payment.

The city is paying the lawyers for work involving a grand jury investigation and the resulting report, called a presentment, that was issued Feb. 14. Chief Judge William Bruce Smith sealed the report the same day, and it has remained sealed since then.

Some of the cost was to represent city officials during the grand jury's investigation, but much of it was to keep the presentment sealed.

The most recent bills are for work done through June by Peterson & Myers, Trombley & Hanes and Gray Robinson. William Sheaffer no longer works on the case.

During a town hall meeting Monday, some residents complained about the money the city has spent fighting to keep the report from being released.

At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Justin Troller asked City Attorney Tim McCausland to explain why the city is paying the money to keep the document sealed.

McCausland said it was because commissioners authorized the payment. He said the city has a tradition of providing representation to employees involved in litigation.

"These are expenses for individuals who have found themselves in situations that arise out of their duties," he said.

Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields testified before the grand jury and was served a copy of the presentment. During the town hall meeting, he addressed what the presentment doesn't contain.

"I've read it, and I can tell you what's not in it," he said.

Fields said it contains no mention of the department's ongoing sex scandal, a controversial bra search or the mishandling of DUI documents that appears likely to cause dozens of cases to be dropped.

The current sexual misconduct allegations were made public last month in a State Attorney's Office report that alleged dozens of consensual and multiple forced sexual encounters involving more than 20 officers and city workers. LPD has launched its own investigation, which city officials have estimated will take several more weeks to complete.

In addition, the department has been repeatedly criticized by State Attorney Jerry Hill. Since March 26, Hill has sent six letters to Womack, including one for a widely publicized "bra-shaking" traffic stop search and another involving the sex-scandal debacle.

In June, city officials told commissioners they had arranged to cap grand-jury-related fees at $75,000 for each of three firms. The most the city would be billed by the three firms in total is $225,000, officials said. The recent Trombley bill shows the firm has topped the $75,000 figure by $16,000.

McCausland said the city will continue to receive invoices from firms, but it will only pay the $75,000 if a firm surpasses the cap.

Bob Puterbaugh of Peterson and Myers, Mark Miller of GrayRobinson, and Gary Trombley of Trombley & Hanes signed a letter saying they agreed to the fee cap in the grand jury case.

Trombley left open the possibility of future charges if something changes.

"In the event further efforts are required beyond those contemplated by this letter, the attorneys and the city administration have agreed to address those services by separate agreement," Trombley wrote.

McCausland declined to discuss the status of the case.

The State Attorney's Office has appealed Smith's ruling and filed a notice of appeal in late April with the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland, according to a court docket posted online. All records associated with the appeal are sealed.

Earlier this month, Commissioner Howard Wiggs said the city should stop paying the legal bills to keep information in the grand jury's report from being made public. That idea was defeated in a 5-2 vote, with only Troller voting with Wiggs.

The city has not released the names of the employees the lawyers are representing, but five city employees and Fields were seen with lawyers from four firms outside meetings about the grand jury presentation in Bartow.

Puterbaugh was seen with Police Chief Lisa Womack at the Polk County Courthouse, while Miller was with Fields, City Manager Doug Thomas and McCausland.

Lakeland police attorney Roger Mallory was with Sheaffer. Ann Dinges, LPD public safety communications specialist, was seen with Trombley and Matt Luka, both of Trombley and Hanes.

Earlier this year, a grand jury investigated LPD following a Ledger article that described problems getting public records from the department.

The grand jury heard from a variety of witnesses, including reporters and an editor of The Ledger, various police agencies, and Lakeland city employees.

The grand jury released a presentment on what it found, but no criminal charges were filed as a result of its investigation.

[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. ]

<p>LAKELAND | Lawyer fees related to a grand jury inquiry into the Lakeland Police Department have reached $218,000.</p><p>So far, the total bills include:</p><p>$75,000 from Peterson & Myers of Lakeland.</p><p>$75,000 from Trombley & Hanes of Tampa.</p><p>$52,558 from GrayRobinson of Lakeland.</p><p>$12,853 from William Sheaffer of Orlando.</p><p>The city is paying the lawyers for work involving a grand jury investigation and the resulting report, called a presentment, that was issued Feb. 14. Chief Judge William Bruce Smith sealed the report the same day, and it has remained sealed since then.</p><p>Some of the cost was to represent city officials during the grand jury's investigation, but much of it was to keep the presentment sealed.</p><p>The most recent bills are for work done through June by Peterson & Myers, Trombley & Hanes and Gray Robinson. William Sheaffer no longer works on the case.</p><p>During a town hall meeting Monday, some residents complained about the money the city has spent fighting to keep the report from being released.</p><p>At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Justin Troller asked City Attorney Tim McCausland to explain why the city is paying the money to keep the document sealed.</p><p>McCausland said it was because commissioners authorized the payment. He said the city has a tradition of providing representation to employees involved in litigation.</p><p>"These are expenses for individuals who have found themselves in situations that arise out of their duties," he said.</p><p>Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields testified before the grand jury and was served a copy of the presentment. During the town hall meeting, he addressed what the presentment doesn't contain.</p><p>"I've read it, and I can tell you what's not in it," he said. </p><p>Fields said it contains no mention of the department's ongoing sex scandal, a controversial bra search or the mishandling of DUI documents that appears likely to cause dozens of cases to be dropped. </p><p>The current sexual misconduct allegations were made public last month in a State Attorney's Office report that alleged dozens of consensual and multiple forced sexual encounters involving more than 20 officers and city workers. LPD has launched its own investigation, which city officials have estimated will take several more weeks to complete.</p><p>In addition, the department has been repeatedly criticized by State Attorney Jerry Hill. Since March 26, Hill has sent six letters to Womack, including one for a widely publicized "bra-shaking" traffic stop search and another involving the sex-scandal debacle.</p><p>In June, city officials told commissioners they had arranged to cap grand-jury-related fees at $75,000 for each of three firms. The most the city would be billed by the three firms in total is $225,000, officials said. The recent Trombley bill shows the firm has topped the $75,000 figure by $16,000. </p><p>McCausland said the city will continue to receive invoices from firms, but it will only pay the $75,000 if a firm surpasses the cap. </p><p>Bob Puterbaugh of Peterson and Myers, Mark Miller of GrayRobinson, and Gary Trombley of Trombley & Hanes signed a letter saying they agreed to the fee cap in the grand jury case.</p><p>Trombley left open the possibility of future charges if something changes.</p><p>"In the event further efforts are required beyond those contemplated by this letter, the attorneys and the city administration have agreed to address those services by separate agreement," Trombley wrote.</p><p>McCausland declined to discuss the status of the case.</p><p>The State Attorney's Office has appealed Smith's ruling and filed a notice of appeal in late April with the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland, according to a court docket posted online. All records associated with the appeal are sealed.</p><p>Earlier this month, Commissioner Howard Wiggs said the city should stop paying the legal bills to keep information in the grand jury's report from being made public. That idea was defeated in a 5-2 vote, with only Troller voting with Wiggs.</p><p>The city has not released the names of the employees the lawyers are representing, but five city employees and Fields were seen with lawyers from four firms outside meetings about the grand jury presentation in Bartow.</p><p>Puterbaugh was seen with Police Chief Lisa Womack at the Polk County Courthouse, while Miller was with Fields, City Manager Doug Thomas and McCausland.</p><p>Lakeland police attorney Roger Mallory was with Sheaffer. Ann Dinges, LPD public safety communications specialist, was seen with Trombley and Matt Luka, both of Trombley and Hanes.</p><p>Earlier this year, a grand jury investigated LPD following a Ledger article that described problems getting public records from the department.</p><p>The grand jury heard from a variety of witnesses, including reporters and an editor of The Ledger, various police agencies, and Lakeland city employees.</p><p>The grand jury released a presentment on what it found, but no criminal charges were filed as a result of its investigation.</p><p>[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. ]</p>